Create a Vision for a Compelling Future

Have a look at this short course on creating Vision Boards for your life and business.

http://public.iwork.com/embed/?d=Vision_Board_Course.key&a=p1070430514&h=768&w=1024&sw=458

Is this Productive?

I can not be alone in my amazement at the enormous energy around David Allen’s GTD personal productivity process.  I purchased the GTD book back in 2001 (?) for $60 here in Australia. Now I have found an interesting site that has over 100 GTD related software tools.  Not all of these tools are directly related or based on GTD but each can at least support or be adaptted to work in the GTD framework.  I wonder if Dr. Covey is envious?

The Relationship Fulcrum

It is a strange thing really that a software tool like MS Outlook can totally dominate the personal management processes of such a large swathe of the population. I am a strong advocate of personal planning, information management, and reflective journalling as part of a person’s lifestyle. I have seen the effects that a focused effort at personal management can have on sense of well being and quality of relationships. I could go on for volumes but today I am touching on one shift- a shift of perspective and ultimately of paradigm.
Most of us utilise Outlook with varying degrees of success. I would bet most persons use Outlook from a Calendar and Task perspective. You have your calendar for day and time specific actions and your Tasks for other things you need to do. By the way, most people I coach have never achieved good results using Outlook Tasks. My shift is to change the emphasis to Contacts. It sounds simple but it has had a profound effect on me. I changed my paradigm about how best to reflect my perspective on the world- that relationships drive success and effectiveness; not tasks or calendars. Therefore in my planning repertoire I am operating from the Contacts and looking at the relationships and their health and relevance to what I can offer them. Keith Ferrazzi’s book was loaded on my Palm TX when I bought it- what a blessing! Keith’s book is a must have training manual in what I am talking about- get connected and stay connected to relationships with a servant leadership attitude.

Changing the Time Management Paradigm

I confess to now being the ‘anti- time manager.’ After delving into the practice of time management and personal productivity to the extent of coaching and workshopping with clients, I am convinced time management as a practice must now be cast to the dustbin of history. This has nothing to do with the evolution of fancy paper organisers to Outlook and Smartphones. The human interface with tools is still a critical component of feeling in control and we all have preferences about we use. Time really does not exist- it is not a thing to be managed. Time is more a map than a road. Now is all we have and decisions made in the moment direct our progress or stagnation, our happiness or melancholy, our relationships with ourselves and others. The eternal now. I have an admiration for the writing of John Renesch and we share a belief that all leadership (personal, interpersonal and strategic) has a spiritual component. Getting back to time- what drove me to become so interested in the management of time was the realisation early on that it is limited. Having changed my paradigm to the NOW my path is to teach others how to create space in the now as opposed to adding layers of processes and complexity to already crowded personal lives. My work now is focused on lessening the inputs and outputs in a media frantic world; to offer space for thought and tapping into creativity and personal quality. Our outputs will be of higher quality, our sense of time will slow and a greater sense of peace (not found on your computer screen) will rise.